Folks,

So many skeletons of the past still haunt the swirling mists of England. Speaking of those Mosquitoes brings to my own misty mind that worthy movie "633 Squadron" starring Cliff Robetson (of "Charlie" and PT 109 fame) and George Chikiris of "West Side Story" fame, in a far less significant role but an entertaining one nonetheless. Who was the female lead in that, Maria Perschy who died in Dec. 2004 I think?

Perhaps I cannot quite make out all the verse supered like a wisp of protoplasm over the middle photo.

"We will serenade our Louie
while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten like the rest"

A haunting verse to be sure. It would seem that you are getting into a Halloween mood Old Sport. And when Dux is in such a mood I think he writes his best stuff. Could a macabre story such as only the fertile if deliciously twisted mind of Dux be making its way toward us through the mist and fog of Derbyshire? Perhaps...perhaps. We can but hope. ;\)

And for those Whiffenpoofs both past and present lurking in the trailing mists of morning's dew:

"To the tables down at Mory's
To the place where Louie dwells
To the dear old Temple bar we love so well
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts its spell

Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest

We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa

Gentleman songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa"

And for the uninitiated born much later than Dux and I:

"633 Squadron" is a 1964 film that depicts, in fictional terms, the exploits of a World War II British squadron engaged in aerial warfare.

The film stars Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris and Harry Andrews. The script was adapted by author James Clavell (of "Shogan" fame) and Howard Koch from the novel by Frederick E. Smith which itself was based on on several real RAF missions.

When Norwegian resistance leader (Chakiris) reports the location of a German V-2 rocket fuel plant, the Royal Air Force's 633 Squadron, under the command of Wing Commander Grant (Cliff Robertson), is assigned the mission to destroy it.

The plant, however, is in a seemingly-impregnable location beneath an overhanging cliff at the end of a long, narrow fjord lined with anti-aircraft guns. The only way to destroy the plant is by collapsing the cliff on top of it, a job that only the 633 Squadron's light de Havilland Mosquitos are deemed capable of. The squadron trains for its mission in Scotland, where there are narrow valleys similar to the fjord.

The Norwegian resistance is supposed to destroy the anti-aircraft defences guarding the facility, but the attackers are all captured or shot, and the squadron is forced to attack with the defenses still intact. The factory is destroyed, partly due to Grant's plane circling to draw anti-aircraft fire away from the other aircraft making bombing runs. Most of the aircraft are destroyed, including Grant's. He is badly wounded in the crash, and is rescued by the Norwegians.

The film features real de Havilland Mosquitos, an airplane nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder" because of its primary construction material. Five Mosquitos were used during filming, three airworthy and two that could not fly, but could be taxied around the runways. The airworthy Mosquitos were mostly former bomber versions converted to target-towing aircraft (TT Mk. 35) and recently retired from RAF service, which were restored to resemble a fighter-bomber variant (FB. Mk. VI) for filming. Although it is often stated these were the only mark flown in the film, watching closely reveals that a T Mark III (probably RR299) is also flown, lacking the two-stage Merlins, V-shaped windscreen and bulged bomb-bay of the TT35s.

No original German aircraft were available at the time of filming, so Messerschmitt Bf 108 aircraft were used to represent the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

The camera aircraft, a North American B-25 Mitchell, appears in the film, dropping Bergman back into Norway. His original escape from Norway is in a Miles Messenger


Originally Registered January,2001 Member Number 3044

"Blessed are they who expect nothing, for they shall not be disappointed" - Edmond Gwenn, "The Trouble With Harry"

CELEBRATING EIGHTEEN YEARS and over 20 MILLION VIEWS on SNAFU's HWH thread- April 2019